While fans eagerly await the return ofGen Vfor season 2, the long wait since 2023’s explosive season 1 has left a major superhero-shaped hole. TV shows likeGen Vdon’t come around often - ones that combine gritty violence, sharp satire, and superpowered young adults navigating chaos with a terrifying lack of supervision.The Boysfranchise is never afraid to push boundaries, andGen Vtook that same twisted energy and applied it to a college campus full of hormonal Supes-in-training. But with nearly two years between seasons, fans are hungry for something to tide them over.
Fortunately, another show delivers on everything that makesGen Vgreat, and it’s been hiding in plain sight. With a 92%Rotten Tomatoesrating and a cult fanbase thatpredatesThe Boysentirely, the best thing to watch while waiting forGen Vto return proves that edgy, irreverent, and power-packed teen superhero storytelling isn’t new. In fact, it was thriving over a decade ago. This show blends crude comedy, shocking violence, and genuine heart in waysGen Vfans will instantly recognize. If you’re looking for TV shows likeGen V, there’s one under-the-radar British gem that deserves your attention:Misfits.
Misfits Is The Perfect TV Show To Watch While Waiting For Gen V Season 2
A Teen Superpowers Story That Hit Hard Long Before Gen V Existed
TV shows likeGen Voften lean into the chaos that happens when unprepared young people are handed immense power, andMisfitsarguably did it first. Debuting in 2009 on Channel 4 in the UK,Misfitsfollows a group of working-class young offenders who are hit by a mysterious electrical storm while doing community service, suddenly gaining superpowers that reflect their deepest insecurities. Unlike thestudents at Godolkin University, these characters don’t want fame, money, or power. They just want to survive their sentences and get on with their lives - until things spiral into blood-soaked madness, that is.
Controlled chaos is what makesMisfitssuch a strong match forGen Vfans.
The main group of characters inMisfitsincludes Nathan (Robert Sheehan), a motor-mouthed troublemaker who seems invincible; Kelly (Lauren Socha), a no-nonsense girl who can hear people’s thoughts; Curtis (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), a disgraced athlete who can rewind time; Alisha (Antonia Thomas), whose power causes anyone who touches her to become uncontrollably aroused; and Simon (Iwan Rheon), a painfully awkward outsider who gains the ability to become invisible. The other powers they encounter when they meet more individuals affected by the freak storm are far from glamorous, too. Almost every character inMisfitshas abilities that aremessy, weird, and often deeply inconvenient.
However, that controlled chaos is what makesMisfitssuch astrong match forGen Vfans. It strips away the superhero gloss anddives straight into the raw, funny, and often uncomfortable realityof what powers would do to real people. LikeGen V, it’s loaded with adult themes, brutal deaths, and pitch-black comedy, all wrapped in a story about young people who never signed up to be heroes in the first place. For anyone seeking TV shows likeGen V,Misfitsis essential viewing.
Misfits Did Gen V’s Story Even Better Than The Prime Video Series
These Reluctant Heroes Are Even More Grounded, Hilarious, And Chaotic Than Gen V’s Supes
WhileGen Vfocuses on elite Supe students raised to believe they’re celebrities in the making,Misfitsgoes in the complete opposite direction, and that’s where it shines.The characters inMisfitsare ordinary kids from broken homes and rough backgrounds who gain powers by accident, with zero training, resources, or ambitions to save the world. Their reactions feel more grounded and human because they’re just trying to survive their already tough lives while wrestling with powers they never asked for.
It comes from years of pain, growth, and hard lessons, not a school syllabus designed to create the next Homelander.
UnlikeGen V’s Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair) and Jordan Li (London Thor/Derek Luh), who’ve grown up inside the Vought system,Misfitscharacters are pure outsiders.That makes them immediately more relatable, especially as they screw up, lash out, and occasionally kill people with powers they barely understand. When Simon starts to grow into a vigilante role, it feels earned, because it comes from years of pain, growth, and hard lessons, not a school syllabus designed to create the next Homelander.
Then there’s the tone.Misfitsis just as raunchy, violent, and darkly hilariousas anything inGen V. The show isn’t afraid to go full-on bizarre, like a man who can control dairy products, a girl whose power is to trap people inside video games, or a time-travel subplot involving Hitler. Yet it all works because the characters react like real, flawed people. The humor is foul-mouthed and chaotic, but it never undercuts the emotional weight when things go wrong, which they frequently do. Some of the show’s most disturbing deaths and plot twists rival evenGen V’s most gut-wrenching moments.
What’s more, it’s not just about powers.Misfitsexplores themes of guilt, trauma, friendship, and redemption with more depth than many expected from a show that starts with a probation officer getting murdered in episode 1. If you’re looking for TV shows likeGen Vthat deliver character-driven chaos with heart and carnage in equal measure,Misfitsmight actually outdo the Prime Video series at its own game.
Where To Watch Misfits In 2025
This British Cult Classic Is Now Streaming In The U.S. On Multiple Platforms
If you’re ready to dive into one of the best TV shows likeGen V, you’re in luck -Misfitsis easy to find in 2025. The seriesoriginally aired in the UKon Channel 4 between 2009 and 2013, running for five seasons and developing a fiercely loyal cult following along the way. Despite its popularity overseas, it flew under the radar in the U.S. for years. That’s finally changed.
As of now,all five seasons ofMisfitsare available to stream in the U.S. on both Hulu and Peacock.That means you’re able to binge the entire story, from the hilarious chaos of season 1 to the wild twists of season 5, without hunting for obscure links or DVDs. Whether you’re new to the show or revisiting it after years, it’s all just a few clicks away.
So whileGen Vseason 2won’t arrive until September, fans looking for a smart, gritty, and ridiculously entertaining alternative don’t have to wait. If you’re craving more TV shows likeGen V, it’s time to catch up onMisfits, the superhero show that broke the mold before breaking the rules became trendy.
Gen V
Cast
Gen V is set at America’s only college for superheroes, where students challenge their moral limits while competing to join Vought International’s elite team, The Seven. As dark secrets of the institution are revealed, they must determine the kind of heroes they aspire to be.
Misfits
Misfits is a British comedy-drama sci-fi series that blends science fiction with dark comedy. It is centered around five young offenders who gain supernatural abilities after a bizarre electrical storm. Set during their community service, the show explores how each character deals with their newfound powers, shining a light on the darker sides of having special abilities.
